Be aware that the spies will simply take any tongue in cheek comment about playing Leigh, and go start their own thread on the Leigh forum about how our 'lips are still quivering'.

Now I don't know about the rest of you but I can't say it's eating me up inside. And in any case my lips can't quiver as I have Bell's Palsy.

We can do plenty of gelling in the league games. CC can give the likes of Gaskell, O'brien, Sidlow, Clough, Pitts a bit of rest.

Plus with easter coming up, i think we need to give other players some game time.

In terms of who is played in the cup, I Loved Lowesy's comment about the Batley game.

When reminded that Harry Siejka was available and how well the two current halves had just played he said [something along the lines of Yeah, that's a decision I'll make through the week - or I might just let them knock seven bells out of each other and see who gets injured.

Pressure? What pressure?

Workington Town at home.

Two weeks on the trot!!!!!!

Couldn't really have worked out worse

Unless they come up with some enticing deals I don't see us getting much of a crowd. Who wants to pay £27 to watch a team that we are playing seven days later?

'Buy one, get one free' anyone?

Don't the RFL set the prices for the cup still? Can't see it being that high at any rate, and I bet we'll only open the stand. Agreed that it's not an attractive fixture to shell out for, purely because of the timing.

Worky are scheduled to play the postponed game vs Dewsbury next Wednesday the 18th. Don't envy them that weeks work.

Make it a tenner to get in, and a free pint. A quid for kids. Otherwise under 2k crowd.

The Worky contingent could provide some off field entertainment, going back quite a few SL years their Fans were the only ones who caused any trouble and that was amongst themselves, when one of their number kept on slagging their own players and after being told to shut it a few times got belted and that started a bit of a scuffle, those of us Bulls Fans near by looked on in mild amusement. This happened twice within a couple of years with the same Fan and same reaction.
Any of the Worky Fans reading this may know if said Fan is still about.

I agree if there's any scope to play with the prices, get some bodies in the ground at £10.

Spot on imo.

that said, I'm not sure that even free entry would guarantee any sort of crowd for a cup match these days.

We seem to have the same Cup comments every time it comes round. But it's a fact that the crowds in the early Cup rounds are extremely low. For everybody. Whatever the fixture. This is because apart from each club's stalwarts, most of the rest simply do not connect with it as an occasion to spend their *T*I*M*E*. It isn't money. For a season or maybe two, the RFL tried including the first Cup game FREE with all season tickets. Think about it. Al season tickets could get in FREE. Not a tenner. Nothing. Zilch.

Did it increase early round crowds? No, it didn't. Which is why it was quietly scrapped.

Folk keep coming up with all these "should do this, should do that, or else the crowd will be crap" ideas off the top of their heads but you are wasting your time. You won't get a big crowd whatever you do because people don't see it as an event worth attending. Personally I'm sure the Cup began to be slowly strangled as a Comp as soon as the RFL/SL started messing about with its timing and it has never got that back. People will still go to the Final, as that is still a "must see" occasion for enough people but the earlier rounds, and even the semis if the wrong teams get to them, are no longer going to attract decent crowds. The CC Cup was wrecked by meddling, and it would be hard to fix it.

Workington have - Sheffield (H); Dewsbury (H)(the postponed fixture); Bradford (A); Bradford (A); Haven (H) and Leigh (A) in a 22 day period.

That is a testing run of fixtures, for any squad. 6 games in 22days. The 3 away games being us x2 & Leigh. Hopefully they can maximise their Dual reg players, but then that brings in the cup-tied issue for the SL club.

So, they've been directed to play the postponed game, as soon as possible. But its close to Easter. Would it not have been reasonable to delay that game (between 2 part time squads - with day jobs) until later in the season? Perhaps near a CC weekend when(if?) they've both been knocked out? Its a bit harsh from the RFL, looking at that.

Well I can only speak in relation to my own situation. And that is that we struggle to be able to afford £50/£60 (plus the extras at the ground)to go to Odsal as a family of 4 as often as I'd like, so a reduction in price would be directly relevant.

My time isn't the issue, but I accept that reasons such as my own can't explain the fact that the cup is largely seen as no draw whatsoever.

But you aren't exactly a floating voter, you're a moderator on a RL forum, which puts you in the vanguard of committed fans! You do help to explain though why not even all the diehard fans can or do attend every Cup game.

On that weekend I go away to Alnwick (I said that weekend the missus with it being a Challenge cup weekend) meaning when the Bulls roll out again Town I'll be sat in a hot tub drinking beer.

If the club aren't willing to get (proper) beer and hot tubs in at Odsal then they won't see me at challenge cup matches.

Mmm, where do they hide the [proper beer and hot tubs for the league games, then Macbull? I'd definitely arrive earlier...

I've seen the real cider and sauna tent if that helps.

Play them both together. One game that gets you through to the next round and also gets you two league points.
Brilliant idea I thinks!

To be fair, I bet both clubs would go for that as the cup game is likely to be a money loser all round - probably won't even cover expenses.

Were you W.S. Gilbert in a previous life, FA?

I have no idea, but would love to take the credit for his masterpieces. I got hooked on them when by fluke when i was at Uni we were living near Sadlers Wells and someone got tickets for Pirates of Penzance, by yer actual D'Oyly Carte, for a laugh. I went expecting a joke, but came out hooked!

Your prose was heading that way, almost "the very model of a modern forum moderator". For me it was being dragged by my mum to the Alhambra or Leeds Grand when the D'Oyle Carte were in town, but as you you say, the very English eccentricity of it all stays with you forever.